Donning and doffing yarn tubes using magnetic force

ABSTRACT

A method and a device are disclosed for donning and doffing, using magnetic force, yarn tubes mounted on a creel. A base frame is used to support pivoted arms on which yarn tubes are mounted for use with various textile machines. The yarn tube may be in at least one of two positions: donning position and doffing position. In the doffing position the thread may be fed to the textile machine for weaving, while in the donning position the thread spool may be replaced by another thread spool. The pivoted arms may be held in either the donning or the doffing positions with magnetic force for secure positioning of the pivoted arms. One-handed and easy operation of the donning and doffing process may be performed due to the use of magnetic force to hold the pivot arm in the predetermined positions.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates generally to textile machines. More specifically, this application relates to a method and apparatus for donning and doffing yarn tubes mounted on a creel using magnetic force.

SUMMARY

In aspects of present disclosure, a device for mounting spools on a creel is disclosed including a base frame having two distinct positions, one each for donning and doffing thread from a yarn spool. The device further includes at least one pivot arm configured to receive the yarn spool. The pivot arm is configured to swing between the two positions. At least one magnetic component may be used to hold the pivot arm at one of the positions.

In further aspects of the present disclosure, a creel for use with a textile machine is disclosed including a rack structure with multiple base frames attached to the rack structure, each base frame configured to support at least one pivot arm for holding a yarn tube. The pivot arm is further configured to swing between two distinct positions on the base frame and be held in one of the two distinct positions using a magnetic component.

In still further aspects of the disclosure, a method of donning and doffing yarn tubes on a creel including moving a pivot arm having a yarn spool mounted on it, held at a doffing position by a magnetic force on a base frame to a donning position on the base frame, replacing the yarn spool, and returning the pivot arm to the doffing position to be securely held at the doffing position by the magnetic force.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings, when considered in connection with the following description, are presented for the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the subject matter sought to be protected.

FIG. 1 is an example environment where a creel may be deployed;

FIG. 2A shows a top view of an example base frame for holding yarn tubes on a creel;

FIG. 2B shows a perspective view of the example base frame of FIG. 2A; and

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram showing an example process for donning and doffing yarn tubes mounted on a creel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While the present disclosure is described with reference to several illustrative embodiments described herein, it should be clear that the present disclosure should not be limited to such embodiments. Therefore, the description of the embodiments provided herein is illustrative of the present disclosure and should not limit the scope of the disclosure as claimed. In addition, while following description references yarn, it will be appreciated that the disclosure may be used with other types of threads, strings, ropes, and the like, which may be used in creating fabrics, meshes, nets, and similar material.

Briefly described, a method and a device are disclosed for donning (putting on) and doffing (taking off) of yarn (or other types of threads) tubes or spools mounted on a creel (yarn spool holding rack used in textile industry). A base frame may be used to support pivoted arms on which yarn tubes are mounted for use with various textile machines, such as a fabric weaving machine or carpet tufting machine. The thread spool may be in at least one of two positions: donning position and doffing position. In the doffing position the thread may be fed to the textile machine for weaving, while in the donning position the thread spool may be manually or automatically replaced by another thread spool, for example to change thread type or color or to refill/replace an empty spool. The pivoted arms may be held in either the donning or doffing positions with magnetic force for precise, secure, and easy positioning of the pivoted arms.

A textile machine is supplied with threads for weaving a fabric. The fabric may be any kind of mesh weaved from various kinds of threads or yarns. The yarn or threads also may be used for other operations such as carpet tufting. Generally, the threads for weaving or other operations are supplied to the textile machines via spools, bobbins, or tubes wrapped with yarn or thread. These yarn tubes are mounted on a support arm attached to a frame on a creel, a rack for holding such yarn tubes and feeding textile machines. A regular part of the textile manufacturing process is the replacement of yarn tubes. The yarn tubes may have to be replaced for various reasons, such as running out of yarn, changing type or color of yarn, and the like. To replace the yarn tube, the arm on which the yarn tube is mounted is generally moved to a donning position away from a working or doffing position. Traditionally, the arm supporting the spool is fixed in a position by spring tension, latch, spring-loaded rod and hole/slot, or other similar mechanical devices, which are deactivated by force and/or by two-handed operation to unlock the arm before it can be moved to a different position for donning or doffing. Such devices are cumbersome to operate and often cause injuries, such as carpel tunnel injury, to operators because of the repetitive nature of the operation of these devices.

FIG. 1 is an example environment where a creel may be deployed. A textile machine 102 consumes threads 104 unwound from yarn tube 106 mounted on creel 108 via base frame 110. Textile machine 102 pulls yarn from yarn tube 106 for weaving. The yarn tubes are mounted on pivot arms attached to base frame 110, which arms can swing between two positions of donning and doffing. Creel 108 may include a rack structure for attaching multiple base frames. Base frame 110 may be attached to creel 108 by bolts, weld, or other mechanical interfaces such as tongue-and-groove, or any other suitable mechanical interface that can securely attach base frame 110 to creel 108. Generally, multiple base frames are attached to a creel to form a spool rack for simultaneously handling multiple yarn tubes.

Textile machine 102 consumes threads 104 while yarn tubes 106 are in the doffing position. At some point during the textile manufacturing process, one or more of the yarn tubes 106 may need to be replaced. At such point in the process, the arm supporting yarn tube 106 is moved to the donning position for removal and replacement. In one embodiment, a natural magnet is used to hold the arm in the donning and/or doffing positions. The arm is simply pulled off the magnet for moving it to the other position, as further described in detail below.

FIG. 2A shows a top view of an example base frame for holding yarn tubes on a creel. In one embodiment a base frame 210 is used to support pivot arms (or arms) 202 a and 202 b. Arm stops 208, 216, 218, and 228 are used to limit the motion of the pivot arms. Magnet support blocks 206, 212, 220, and 224 are used to support arm magnets 204, 214, 222, and 226, respectively. Pivot arms 202 a and 202 b can swing between two positions each about pivot points 230 and 232, respectively. Pivot arm 202 a may move to position 202 c and pivot arm 202 b may move to position 202 d for donning or doffing, depending on how base frame 210 is mounted on the creel. In some embodiments, the pivot arms are made of ferromagnetic material, such as steel, to be attracted by the arm magnets and be held in place. In other embodiments, the pivot arms are made of several parts including a shaft and a base. The shaft used for receiving yarn spool may be made of non-ferromagnetic metals such as aluminum, or composite materials, such as plastics, attached to a separate part, such as a steel base or block. The steel base serves the purpose of being attracted to the arm magnets while the non-ferromagnetic materials make the arm lighter in weight. The non-ferromagnetic shaft may generally be less expensive and be replaceable when worn out or damaged, while the steel base is permanently attached to base frame 210 at the pivot points. In some embodiments, only two arm magnets are used on base frame 210, one each for the doffing position of each of the two pivot arms, while in other embodiments, four arm magnets may be used, one for each of the donning and doffing positions of the two arms.

In some embodiments, base frame 210 supports a single pivot arm 202 a, while in other embodiments base frame 210 supports multiple pivot arms. For example, an extended base frame may support two, four, six, or any odd or even numbers of pivot arms in various geometric configurations suitable for mounting on a creel.

In some embodiments, arm magnets may be natural magnets, while in other embodiments, the arm magnets may be electromagnets. In various embodiments, electromagnets may be turned off to release the pivot arms for swinging to the other position with little force needed from the operator. In such embodiments, the electromagnets are turned back on to hold the pivot arms securely in the appropriate positions. In some embodiments, the electromagnets may be turned on and off by a control button located in the proximity of each particular pivot arm for controlling the arm magnet for the particular pivot arm. In other embodiments, the control button may be used to control a group of pivot arms, for example, a row or column of pivot arms in certain geometric configurations of the base frame.

FIG. 2B shows a perspective view of the example base frame of FIG. 2A. In this embodiment, base frame 210 supports two pivot arms 202 a and 202 b, which can move to positions 202 c and 202 d, respectively. Only two arm magnets 204 and 222, supported by magnet support blocks 206 and 220, respectively, are employed to hold the pivot arms in the doffing position during consumption by the textile machine.

In operation, with continued reference to FIG. 2B, at the time of replacing a yarn tube, a creel operator forces a pivot arm, for example, pivot arm 202 a, off arm magnet 204 at the doffing position and swings the pivot magnet to the donning position 202 c. Once pivot arm 202 a is separated by a small distance, typically on the order of a few tenths of an inch, from arm magnet 204 holding it in place at the doffing position, the pivot arm swings freely without any exertion from the creel operator. This is in contrast with pivot arms held in the doffing position by a spring where the tension on the pivot arm increases as it is separated from the doffing position to replace the yarn tube. The creel operator may now easily swing the pivot arm to the donning position to replace the yarn tube mounted on pivot arm 202 a with another yarn tube and return pivot arm 202 a to its original doffing position where the arm is attracted and held in place again by the magnetic force from arm magnet 204. Typically, the moving of the pivot arm is done by a single hand and a use of both hands is not necessary. In the case that an electromagnet is used, the creel operator turns off the electromagnet first before moving the pivot arm to the donning position.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram showing an example process for donning and doffing yarn tubes mounted on a creel. With reference to FIGS. 2A and 3, the process starts at block 300 and proceeds to block 310 where the pivot arm is held in place at the doffing position by magnetic force generated by a natural magnet or an electromagnet. The process proceeds to block 320.

At block 320, the pivot arm may be moved to the donning position by overcoming or removing the magnetic force holding the pivot arm, for example, pivot arms 202 a and 202 b, in the doffing position. As discussed previously, the magnetic force holding the pivot arm in the doffing position may be generated by a permanent magnet or an electromagnet. The process proceeds to block 330.

At block 330, in some embodiments, the pivot arm may be held in place at the donning position, using magnetic force generated by magnets installed at the donning position, for the replacement of a yarn tube. In other embodiments, the pivot arm may simply be held in the donning position manually, without the use of magnetic force, for replacing the yarn tube. Once the pivot arm is separated by a small distance, typically on the order of a few tenths of an inch, from the magnet holding it in place at the donning or the doffing positions, the pivot arm swings freely without any exertion from the creel operator. Next, the process proceeds to block 340.

At block 340, the creel operator may replace the yarn tube mounted on the pivot arm. The process proceeds to block 350 next.

At block 350, in some embodiments, the pivot arm may be held in place at the donning position, using magnetic force generated by magnets installed at the donning position, for the replacement of a yarn tube. In other embodiments, the pivot arm may simply be held in the donning position manually, without the use of magnetic force, for replacing the yarn tube. In embodiments where magnetic force is used at the donning position, once the pivot arm is separated by a small distance, typically on the order of a few tenths of an inch, from the magnet holding it in place at the donning positions, the pivot arm swings freely without any exertion from the creel operator. The creel operator may move the pivot arm to the doffing position where it is attracted and held in place by magnetic force to supply yarn to the textile machine from the newly replaced yarn tube. Next, the process proceeds to block 360.

At block 460, the process terminates.

While the present disclosure has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements. 

1. A device for mounting spools on a creel, the device comprising: a base frame comprising at least two distinct positions, one each for donning and doffing thread from a yarn spool; at least one pivot arm configured to receive the yarn spool, the pivot arm further configured to swing between the at least two distinct positions; and at least one magnetic component configured to generate a magnetic force operable to attract and hold the pivot arm.
 2. The device of claim 1, further comprising at least two mechanical stops, one at each of the at least two distinct positions, configured to stop a motion of the pivot arm moving between the at least two distinct positions.
 3. The device of claim 1, further comprising a magnet support block on the base frame, the magnet support block configured to be used for attachment of the at least one magnetic component.
 4. The device of claim 1, wherein the magnetic component is a natural magnet.
 5. The device of claim 1, wherein the magnetic component is an electromagnet.
 6. The device of claim 1, wherein the pivot arm is made of a ferromagnetic material.
 7. The device of claim 1, wherein the pivot arm includes a ferromagnetic base a non-ferromagnetic shaft configured to receive the yarn spool.
 8. The device of claim 1, wherein a separate magnetic component is used to hold the pivot arm at each of the at least two distinct positions.
 9. A creel for use with a textile machine, the creel comprising: a rack structure; and a plurality of base frames attached to the rack structure, each base frame configured to support at least one pivot arm configured to hold a yarn tube, wherein the at least one pivot arm is further configured to swing between at least two distinct positions on the base frame, and wherein the at least one pivot arm is configured to be held in one of the at least two distinct positions using a magnetic component.
 10. The creel of claim 9, wherein the at least two distinct positions correspond to a donning position and a doffing position for the yarn tube.
 11. The creel of claim 9, wherein the magnetic component is a natural magnet.
 12. The creel of claim 9, wherein the magnetic component is an electromagnet.
 13. The creel of claim 9, wherein the pivot arm, at least in part, is made of a ferromagnetic material.
 14. The creel of claim 9, wherein the pivot arm includes a base and a shaft.
 15. The creel of claim 9, wherein the pivot arm is configured to be separated from each of the at least two distinct positions by applying a force to overcome a force of the magnetic component.
 16. A method of donning and doffing yarn tubes on a creel, the method comprising: moving a pivot arm having a yarn spool mounted thereon, held at a doffing position by a magnetic force on a base frame to a donning position on the base frame; replacing the yarn spool; and returning the pivot arm to the doffing position to be securely held at the doffing position by the magnetic force.
 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising forcing the pivot arm held at the donning position by another magnetic force before returning the pivot arm to the doffing position.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein moving the pivot arm held at the doffing position comprises overpowering the magnetic force and moving the pivot arm away from the magnetic force.
 19. The method of claim 16, wherein moving the pivot arm held at the doffing position comprises moving the pivot arm with one hand.
 20. The method of claim 16, wherein moving the pivot arm held at the doffing position comprises swinging the pivot arm away from the doffing position about a pivot point on the base frame. 